Hedrick's school-wide 2012 Mock Election will take place next week! If you were voting today, which candidate would you choose for President of the United States of America, and which issue is the most important to you? Don't comment on this post -- comments won't be posted. Instead, answer the two questions on the Post #19 Election 2012 Poll on the right side of this screen! I will post graphs of our results. Will our team predict our school's results? Will we predict the results of the actual national election? Food for thought... And the October 24th poll results are in! They're posted below the poll questions on the right...it's a close race! Check out how many different issues are important to the students on our team!

After watching the Presidential Debates of the 2012 election season, which candidate (Barack Obama or Mitt Romney) would you vote for? Why? Please support your position, using information you learned during the debate. Read back over your debate notes! If you support your vote with information learned somewhere else, please tell us where you learned it, and you can include a link to the source (as long as it is school appropriate).*Remember: only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your social studies class period in your comment -- and no email addresses!

"Aren’t we just like the Roman Empire, headed for the same kind of fall?”

We hear this question sometimes when someone wants to make the point that the United States is doing something that will lead to its ultimate decline.

The comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one.

For instance, I recently heard some people talk about going the way of Rome when they were worrying about the terrible consequences of “military expansionism.” Others said we were doing “just like Rome” by giving up “our traditional family values.” Oftentimes, the Roman Empire comparison is just a simple way to emphasize the speaker's negative feelings about a particular American condition or course of action.

But the comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill history professor Lloyd Kramer has been thinking about some of the parallels and discussed them at a church school class on a recent Sunday morning. Here are some of the similarities between Rome and America.

1. Both began as small republics without much influence. Then they expanded “to the sea,” by conquering or coercing the peoples who occupied the heartlands. Both continued that expansion beyond the seas. The Romans spread throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. The U.S. took over Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines and parts of the Caribbean.

2. Both claimed important political traditions such as the rule of law and fair government. Both believe that they were providing a much better government to those they conquered.

3. Both established transnational trading systems. In the areas of the Roman imposed peace, they established road networks, a postal system, and commercial stability. Similarly, the U.S. has led the way in bringing about a global system of commerce and trade.

4. Both had long conflicts with major rivals, ending in triumph and unrivaled power. Rome won its long war with Carthage; the U.S. over Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R..

5. Both borrowed their basic culture from predecessors. Rome from Greece. The U.S. from Britain and Western Europe.

6. Both dominated the rest of the world with military superiority.

7. Both took advantage of advanced technology to improve the lives of their peoples.

8. Both attracted substantial numbers of immigrants from other parts of the world.

9. Rome often used local leaders to manage the local populations. The U.S. does the same.

10. Both are responsible for a “transnational language.” Latin in the case of Rome. English in the case of the U.S.

11. Both experienced a movement to centralize political power. This centralization has been accompanied by a decline in the politics of participation and an increase in the politics of the spectacle. Games and pleasure took the place of a civic life. A few elite families tended to dominate the national political life.

12. Both developed an increased reliance on a professional military, depending less and less upon the citizen soldier.

13. Finally, both experienced growing opposition at the boundaries. The resulting conflicts increased dependence on the military. The costs of military preparedness and defense strained the basic economic systems.

Kramer recognizes that there are some important differences between Rome and America, including:

1. The U.S. has relatively few colonies compared to Rome.

2. The U.S. has an expanding human rights agenda.

3. The U.S. has maintained a democratic form of government, unlike the Romans whose republic was transformed into rule by an emperor.

4. While Romans took pride in their empire, Americans generally reject the term as it applies to them.

With all of these similarities on the table, Professor Kramer asked us if we thought the American people still have control over how our country is evolving. Or, he continued, are we like Romans at the time of the end of their republic when events were out of control of the people?

I wondered about all this as I watched our military try to deal with armed revolts in Iraq. The imperial Romans would know what do. Brutally crush the rebellion and do whatever it takes to teach the Iraqis that resistance brings swift and terrible punishment--without mercy or “due process.”

Have we become so much like the Romans that we are prepared to teach such lessons?

I don’t think so.

Most Americans still do not have the “conqueror’s mentality” that is a prerequisite for crushing the prolonged resistance of an occupied people.

It is a big difference from the Romans, one that I hope will never change. It is a difference that our leaders should remember the next time they send Americans to liberate, conquer, or occupy another people’s country.

Which one poetic device was used most effectively in the Katy Perry song “Firework”. How did it create an emotional effect in YOU?*Remember: only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your English class period in your comment -- and no email addresses!

In order to create your Pillar of Virtues, you learned about Emperor Ashoka's Pillars in ancient India, and you chose the virtues you stand for in your own life. For Post #15, choose one of your virtues to write about. Give a real life example of how this virtue has helped you and/or others in your life. What would life be like without this virtue?*Remember: only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your social studies class period in your comment -- and no email addresses!

In the 6th century BCE, the ancient Greeks in Athens argued about canceling the debts of the poor, providing construction jobs paid with government funds, and taking money and land from the wealthy nobles to give to the landless poor. The “Occupy Wall Street” protestors and debates in congress are raising the same issues in the United States today. Using your research notes, please sharefacts, statistics, logic, evidence, anecdotes, or information from your interview to explain why you answer "yes" or "no" to the following question. After commenting, take the Taxes in the United States Survey on the right.Social Studies Debate #2: “Should the U.S. tax system take more money from the wealthiest citizens to give to the poorest citizens?”*Remember: only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your social studies class period in your comment -- and no email addresses!

Let's start the year off with a debate!We are headed off to the Lava Beds National Monument in just a few days, so...1. Read the following article, then add a comment* with your answer to the following question: Wasthe US Army justified in its actions at Captain Jack's Stronghold? Why or why not? *Please only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your social studies class period in your comment!2. Finally, vote in the Captain Jack Survey on the right side of the screen...

Captain Jack's StrongholdFrom A History of American Indians in California, National Park Service, 2004.Captain Jack's Stronghold, part of Lava Beds National Monument, is located at the Perez turnoff, off Highway 139 between Tule Lake and Canby, California. The lava beds made an outstanding stronghold for the Modocs because of the rough terrain, rocks that could be used in fortification, and irregular pathways to evade pursuers. The area originally served as a hunting and gathering area. It is now a national monument managed by the National Park Service.In 1869, Ulysses S. Grant became president of the United States. During his term of office, there existed conflicting philosophies and policies for dealing with Indian affairs. The policies came from three distinct sources: first, Interior Department officials believed that Indian Agents were more important than Indians; second, the War Department believed it was cheaper to feed Indians than to shoot them; and third, private citizens believed that if Indians adopted Christianity, they would change their habits, folkways, and economic system, and then become peaceable and self-reliant. Grant often referred to the third policy as his "Quaker Policy." Not knowing which of these policies to use, Grant implemented all three. The result was disastrous. Under these conflicting philosophies, the Modoc Indians were forced to move onto the Klamath Indian Reservation on Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon in 1869.The Klamath Indians believed that they had allowed the Modocs to relocate onto their land. Moreover, they felt that all resources on the land remained theirs by ancestral right. The retention of land rights was a continuing source of agitation between Klamaths and Modocs. In addition, social conditions at Klamath were distressing. Against official orders, army officers gambled with Indians, often winning as many as 20 or 30 horses from Indian men. Army officers at Klamath also quite openly took Indian women, even from their husbands. Once their wives had been prostituted this way, husbands often refused to take them back. Meanwhile, the agents encouraged Indians to become herdsmen and farmers and to live in log cabins instead of in their traditional wickiups.Captain Jack watched life at Klamath and became convinced that he should live the way his ancestors had. Others in his band agreed with him and so they returned to their land on Lost River. All they wanted was the right to their traditional homeland. Late in 1869, messengers went to Lost River to ask Jack to come back to Klamath to discuss the possibility of his returning permanently to the reservation. He refused to leave Lost River and told the messengers that people would have to come to him if they wanted to talk.In the spring of 1871, Jack employed a Klamath Indian shaman to care for a sick Modoc child. He paid the fees in advance and a contract was entered into. Among the Modoc, this type of contract was understood as a guarantee to heal. In the event of failure, the doctor's life was to be forfeited. The sickness of the child was more serious than originally thought, and she died. In accordance with custom, Captain Jack killed the Klamath shaman for inefficiency. Friends of the shaman informed the local sheriff of the murder, and asked for Jack's arrest. Under the provisions of the "Great Treaty" of 1864, Indians were bound never to murder again; therefore, the sheriff issued a warrant for Jack's arrest. Jack, meanwhile, traveled to Yreka to see attorney Elisha Steele, who wrote a letter for him to the Indian Agent advising against his arrest on spiritual and cultural grounds. The agent accepted Steele's advice and dropped the charges against Jack. Settlers in the area nevertheless used the murder charge to discredit Jack.

In November 1872, soldiers and settlers attacked Captain Jack's camp on Lost River. After the battle, about 50 Modocs fled to the strategic position of the lava beds. Jack lived in the stronghold and successfully defended it for about one year. The first battle for the stronghold took place in January 1873, and the second in April 1873. During the repeated attacks by soldiers and settlers, Captain Jack was able to use the lava beds to his advantage, and only a few people were ever allowed to enter the stronghold to negotiate with him. After several unsuccessful attempts at resolving the whole problem, negotiators sent word back to Washington that the Modocs must be defeated militarily. Captain Jack surrendered on June 1, 1873, and was executed along with five other Modoc men on October 3, 1873. Those remaining in Jack's band were removed to Indian territory in Oklahoma. In 1909, most surviving Modocs returned to the Klamath Reservation. It is important to note that Jack never signed a treaty, and that he defended the stronghold with only a few Indians while the number of men fighting against him at times exceeded 300.Let's start this blog out with a debate!Wasthe US Army justified in its actions at Captain Jack's Stronghold? Why or why not?*Please only include your first name, the first letter of your last name, and your social studies class period in your comment!

Summer postings: during the months ahead, feel free to comment on your long-awaited summer vacation! Tell us about your interesting travel adventure, work project, award or accomplishment, community service, great concert experience, harvest from the garden, or...? If you have an amazing photo and have turned in a signed web-posting permission slip, email it to me at koeby.johnson@medford.k12.or.us and I'll put it up!Be safe and have fun!

Please reply to the following two-part question by Thursday night if you would like to help create the options for our "The Role of the United States Armed Forces in a Post-Osama bin Laden World" Survey:

Should the killing of Osama bin Laden by United States Navy Seals in Pakistan be the impetus for change in the future role of the United States Armed Forces in the world? If so, what should change?

I will form your responses into a survey to be taken by all students on our team; this survey will appear on the right, below...

"Aren’t we just like the Roman Empire, headed for the same kind of fall?”

We hear this question sometimes when someone wants to make the point that the United States is doing something that will lead to its ultimate decline.

The comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one.

For instance, I recently heard some people talk about going the way of Rome when they were worrying about the terrible consequences of “military expansionism.” Others said we were doing “just like Rome” by giving up “our traditional family values.” Oftentimes, the Roman Empire comparison is just a simple way to emphasize the speaker's negative feelings about a particular American condition or course of action.

But the comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill history professor Lloyd Kramer has been thinking about some of the parallels and discussed them at a church school class on a recent Sunday morning. Here are some of the similarities between Rome and America.

1. Both began as small republics without much influence. Then they expanded “to the sea,” by conquering or coercing the peoples who occupied the heartlands. Both continued that expansion beyond the seas. The Romans spread throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. The U.S. took over Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines and parts of the Caribbean.

2. Both claimed important political traditions such as the rule of law and fair government. Both believe that they were providing a much better government to those they conquered.

3. Both established transnational trading systems. In the areas of the Roman imposed peace, they established road networks, a postal system, and commercial stability. Similarly, the U.S. has led the way in bringing about a global system of commerce and trade.

4. Both had long conflicts with major rivals, ending in triumph and unrivaled power. Roman won its long war with Carthage; the U.S. over Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R..

5. Both borrowed their basic culture from predecessors. Rome from Greece. The U.S. from Britain and Western Europe.

6. Both dominated the rest of the world with military superiority.

7. Both took advantage of advanced technology to improve the lives of their peoples.

8. Both attracted substantial numbers of immigrants from other parts of the world.

9. Rome often used local leaders to manage the local populations. The U.S. does the same.

10. Both are responsible for a “transnational language.” Latin in the case of Rome. English in the case of the U.S.

11. Both experienced a movement to centralize political power. This centralization has been accompanied by a decline in the politics of participation and an increase in the politics of the spectacle. Games and pleasure took the place of a civic life. A few elite families tended to dominate the national political life.

12. Both developed an increased reliance on a professional military, depending less and less upon the citizen soldier.

13. Finally, both experienced growing opposition at the boundaries. The resulting conflicts increased dependence on the military. The costs of military preparedness and defense strained the basic economic systems.

Kramer recognizes that there are some important differences between Rome and America, including:

1. The U.S. has relatively few colonies compared to Rome.

2. The U.S. has an expanding human rights agenda.

3. The U.S. has maintained a democratic form of government, unlike the Romans whose republic was transformed into rule by an emperor.

4. While Romans took pride in their empire, Americans generally reject the term as it applies to them.

With all of these similarities on the table, Professor Kramer asked us if we thought the American people still have control over how our country is evolving. Or, he continued, are we like Romans at the time of the end of their republic when events were out of control of the people?

I wondered about all this as I watched our military try to deal with armed revolts in Iraq. The imperial Romans would know what do. Brutally crush the rebellion and do whatever it takes to teach the Iraqis that resistance brings swift and terrible punishment--without mercy or “due process.”

Have we become so much like the Romans that we are prepared to teach such lessons?

I don’t think so.

Most Americans still do not have the “conqueror’s mentality” that is a prerequisite for crushing the prolonged resistance of an occupied people.

It is a big difference from the Romans, one that I hope will never change. It is a difference that our leaders should remember the next time they send Americans to liberate, conquer, or occupy another people’s country.

Mr. Johnson

When not sharing his passion for history, culture, and geography with his students at Hedrick, Mr. Johnson does landscaping and masonry work around the Rogue Valley. He also spends as much time as he can exploring the incredible wilderness of the Pacific Northwest with his lovely wife, Jenny, and their kids – hiking, camping, kayaking and fishing.

Captain Jack Survey!

In A Post- Bin-Laden World Survey!

* Indicates required field

Should the killing of Osama bin Laden by United States Navy Seals in Pakistan be the impetus for change in the future role of the United States Armed Forces in the world? *

No: we should keep our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as currently planned.Yes: we should leave both Afghanistan and Iraq immediately.Yes: we should leave Afghanistan immediately, but stay in Iraq until December 2011 as planned. Yes: we should stay in Afghanistan, but leave Iraq immediately.Yes: leave both Iraq and Afghanistan, but increase funding for anti-terrorism defense in the United States.Yes: leave both Iraq and Afghanistan, but move our troops into other countries where rebels are fighting their governments for democracy (such as Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen).

Libya Survey!

* Indicates required field

What should the United States do about the situation in Libya? *

Do nothingIntervene immediately, even without support from our alliesEncourage Libya's neighbors to attack LibyaOnly intervene if there is a consensus among all of our alliesSupport Qaddafi because he has experience ruling Libya for 40 yearsImmediately enforce a 'no-fly zone' over LibyaUltimatum to Qaddafi: he leaves power immediately, or we attack himCovert operation to assassinate QaddafiCut off all of Qaddafi’s resources – financially starve him from powerUse the United Nations (UN) to bring Qaddafi to trial for crimes against humanitySend in Special Ops to kidnap Qaddafi, then lock him in a Swiss Bank